Cafe Fixe

This is not a cafe that will give you the experience of a Starbucks or Tatte. If you value niceness and accommodation from the staff over a serious consideration for good coffee you’d be better off going elsewhere. The owner makes great coffee in my opinion, and there are not a lot of places in the neighborhood that do. The only drawback is that the taste goes downhill for me whenever another barista is working there, which has sadly been pretty often lately. They always have fresh specialty coffee beans though which is awesome. Also lots of cafes do reusable cup only days, some of these complaints are just sounding ridiculously entitled.

I encountered multiple red flags getting coffee here as a Brookline local the past couple years but finally stopped supporting the shop when I came in not knowing you had to bring in your own cup that day, happened to have one and was still refused service. I was relieved because I happened to have an unused plastic cup in my car and I was running late to a meeting so I didn’t have time to run home, but because it was plastic, the barista refused to serve me. After acting like I committed a crime and interrogating me about the cup, the barista refused me service and said it was “the principle” of the matter and then tried to sell me a $30 cup from their shop. I suggested that if they were going to refuse me service despite bringing in my own cup, they should at least sell affordable ones, $15 at the most (even that is expensive). she claimed that the boss didn’t make any profit off of the clearly expensive, high end cups that he chose to sell. it was the cherry on top of such a ridiculous experience with out of touch baristas. other red flags prior to this - when another barista was skeptical about my dog being a service animal, which is literally against the law but okay. and one time the owner was visibly uncomfortable and judgmental about a radical/revolutionary shirt (in 2025 mind you) that I was wearing. you guys really need to get over yourselves! people only continue to go here out of convenience, and in my case, have loved the Barrington coffee they use since I went to college in western mass and can rarely find since the Barrington coffee shop closed on Newbury years ago, but it’s literally not even worth the bad vibes here to get it. if you want good coffee served by kind, unpretentious people I recommend Sultana’s, Clear Flour, Cafe Weekend, Arwa, Brothers and Sisters Co, Knight Cafe, Maruichi, etc. so many good shops in the Brookline and Brighton area that deserve support over this one!

I visit this cafe regularly enough, usually mornings. I have developed a true fondness for this place. The coffee is great, and so is the vibe !! Based on my judgement, all the negative reviews are stemming from the fact that the staff and the host aren't overly friendly, but I have never once felt that they were rude. The owner definitely cares about the coffee, and sometimes you just have to trust folks to do what they love to do and care about. It's a perfect little "urban" cafe which has a bit of heart and soul in it and not just another giant chains that don't feel personal at all. I am truly happy to have this neighborhood cafe that I can return to time and again.

Cafe fixe is one of the best coffee shops in Boston if the quality of the coffee and attention to detail are what you are after. I especially like the rule where there are no disposable cups on Tuesday. I really appreciate that level of commitment to the environment as well as preserving the culture of a high-end coffee as a pause during the day to be enjoyed with a proper cup instead of a throwaway piece of paper or plastic which would ruin the taste/experience anyway. The employees are always really nice and have genuine rapport with regular customers instead of fake kindness. It reminds me of coffee shops in a classy neighborhood in Europe and I’m happy to have one here in Brookline.

I’m a local who lives right near Café Fixe and have come in regularly over the years, spending quite a bit of money here out of convenience. The coffee has never been great, but it’s close to home so I’ve always tried to support them and it’s convenient. Today was honestly the last straw. I walked in for a quick coffee before picking up my father from the airport, and was told there’s a new rule that on Tuesdays they don’t give cups. My only option was to sit inside with a glass cup—which I didn’t have time for. I explained I was in a rush and asked politely if they could make a one-time exception or offer a courtesy plastic cup for my $6 coffee. The cashier refused. I even asked if I could buy a plastic cup, and she still said no, but told me I could purchase one of their $26 glass cups instead. Reluctantly, I said okay because I was in a hurry. She then rang me up for $37. I caught the number and asked how a $6 coffee plus a $26 cup adds up to $37. She admitted she charged me for two coffees—no apology, no acknowledgment, nothing. The attitude was condescending the entire time. So I walked in for a simple coffee and nearly ended up paying almost $40 for something that’s honestly mediocre to begin with. Between the unfriendly service, strange new rules, and lack of care for regular customers, I’m going to do my best to stay away from Café Fixe going forward. I don’t appreciate being taken advantage of.